In this reflective piece I discuss the process of developing a new unifying initial English language teacher education curriculum in the province of Chubut (Argentina). Trainers and trainees from different institutions were called to work on it with the aim of democratising curriculum development and enhancing involvement among agents. In the process, tensions emerged in the following areas: the cultural and ideological representations of English and the incorporation of interculturality; the integration of fields in the knowledge base; and the role of subject matter in teacher education. The article concludes by stating that while attempts to include trainers' voices were achieved, the curriculum was still conceptualised as compartmentalised knowledge.